Ant
Ant *–noun1.any of numerous black, red, brown, or yellow social insectsof the family Formicidae, of worldwide distribution esp. inwarm climates, having a large head with inner jaws forchewing and outer jaws for carrying and digging, and livingin highly organized colonies.—Idiom2.have ants in one's pants, Slang . to be impatient or eager toact or speak.''Origin: '' bef. 1000; ME am ( e ) te, em ( e ) te, OE ǣmette; c. MLGāmete, ēm ( e ) te, MD amete, OHG āmeiza ( ā- a-3 + meizan to beat, cut, c. Albanian mih (he) digs), G Ameise. See emmet,mite1 —Related formsantlike, adjective —Can be confused:  ant, aunt. -ant   a suffix forming adjectives and nouns from verbs, occurringoriginally in french and Latin loanwords ( pleasant; constant;servant ) and productive in English on this model; -ant has thegeneral sense “characterized by or serving in the capacity of”thatnamed by the stem ( ascendant; pretendant ), esp. in theformation of nouns denoting human agents in legal actions orother formal procedures ( tenant; defendant; applicant; contestant). In technical and commercial coinages, -ant is a suffix of nounsdenoting impersonal physical agents ( propellant; lubricant;deodorant ). In general, -ant can be added only to bases of Latinorigin, with a very few exceptions, as coolant.See also -ent. ''Origin: '' < L -ant-, prp. s. of verbs in -āre; in many words < F -ant < L -ant- or -ent- ( see -ent); akin to ME, OE -and-, -end-, prp. suffix ant.  1.antenna2.antonym. Ant.  Antarctica. anti-  a prefix meaning “against,”“opposite of,”“antiparticle of,”used inthe formation of compound words ( anticline ); used freely incombination with elements of any origin ( antibody; antifreeze;antiknock; antilepton ).Also, before a vowel , ant-. ''Origin: '' ME < L < Gk, prefixal use of antí; akin to Skt ánti opposite, Lante, MD ende (> D en and), E an- in answer. Cf. ante-, and —Can be confused:  ante, ante-, anti-, auntie.Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, ©Random House, Inc. 2010. Cite This Source | Link To ant The American Heritage®Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright ©2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Cite This Source Word Origin & History ant O.E. æmette , from W.Gmc. *amaitjo (cf. O.H.G. ameiza , Ger.Ameise ) from a compound of bases *ai- "off, away" + *mait- "cut." Thus the insect's name is "the biter off." Emmet survivedinto 20c. as an alternative form. White ant "termite" is from 1729.To have ants in one's pants "be nervous and fidgety" is from 1939;antsy "agitated, impatient" (1838) embodies the same notion."As þycke as ameten crepeþin an amete hulle" ofRobert of Gloucester, 1297 anti- L. anti- from Gk. anti "against, opposite, instead of," from PIE*anti (see ante).Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2010 Douglas Harper Cite This SourceMedical Dictionary ant- ''pref. '' Variant of anti-. anti- ' or '''ant- ' pref. # Opposite: antimere. # Opposing; against: antisocial. # Counteracting; neutralizing: antibody. The American Heritage®Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright ©2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton MifflinCompany. Cite This SourceScience Dictionary The American Heritage®Science Dictionary Copyright ©2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Cite This SourceAbbreviations & Acronyms The American Heritage®Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition Copyright ©2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Cite This SourceBible Dictionary '''Ant definition (Heb. nemalah, from a word meaning to creep, cut off, destroy),referred to in Prov. 6:6; 30:25, as distinguished for its prudenthabits. Many ants in Palestine feed on animal substances, butothers draw their nourishment partly or exclusively fromvegetables. To the latter class belongs the ant to which Solomonrefers. This ant gathers the seeds in the season of ripening, andstores them for future use; a habit that has been observed in antsin Texas, India, and Italy.